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A journal for 30DBC and other feline musings. |
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"This...is my lab. And THIS...is my LABORATORY!" Seriously, though. This blog is gonna be where I throw paint at the wall just to see what sticks, and sometimes just to throw paint at the wall because it's friggin' relaxing to throw crap. Welcome aboard, and please keep arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. "In case of emergency, the exits are here-here-here-here-here-here-here... ANYWHERE!" P.S. If you recognize one or both of the above quotes...you are automatically my new best friend.  AlyCatAuthor
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| We go hang-gliding today, which scares me half to death because I'm terrified of heights. But the beauty of the nature we'll be soaring over eventually convinces me. I have to do it, if only just this once, even if it does scare me. When am I going to get another chance? So I get strapped in and the instructor tells me what to do. I'm half-listening, half-praying I'll remember everything I'm told. When it's time to head off, though, my feet won't move from the rock. I can't bear to think of not having solid ground underneath my feet. Hubby comes to the rescue and simply pushes me. Before I know it, I'm gliding through the air. The wind is cool and rich against my face, and I find myself responding quite easily to the current of the wind, turning my body this way and that to get just where I want to go. The instructor herself is right beside me, helping me remember when I need to pull up and when I need to turn. It's the most fun--and the most fear--I've had in a very long time, but the combination reminds me of something like riding a roller coaster, so the fun wins out and I have a blast. Hubby enjoys it too, though he's kind of top heavy, so he has a little more trouble landing his glider and ends up falling right on his face. Thankfully, his glasses don't break, though his pride is a little wounded. He dusts himself off and we head back with the others to settle ourselves down and get some food. AlyCatAuthor |
| 30DBC December 28 Prompt: We are going to the Taste of Tasmania today at Prince's Wharf. This is a food festival, but there are also local community stalls and performances to enjoy. Go crazy here because we'll be making a 2-hour drive up to Launceston tonight, and will be staying in the Number 10 Apartments at the Two Four Two boutique apartments. Hubby loves food festivals! Fortunately my nose hasn't completely killed my ability to taste yet, so I try to keep up with him as he goes from booth to booth, looking at sauces and purchasing a few he'd like to take home. He's more of the cook in our house--even though I CAN cook, I don't enjoy it quite as much as he does. And I always have loved his cooking. I enjoy seeing him so perfectly at home and enjoying himself, talking with other cooks and exchanging recipes. Later on that night, we all pack up and pile into the car to head to Launceston. I'm glad Hubby is here with me to help with the anxiety--he knows it all too well, what with me always being the passenger seat driver when he's behind the wheel. "Slow down! Don't take that curve too fast! Watch where you're going! No, I won't hand you a Kleenex, because you need to keep both hands on the wheel." He's proud that I haven't yet freaked out with the others' driving, but tells me that when it's his turn to drive, I'm staying in the backseat so I can't nag him.  We get to the hotel, pray our Rosary, chat with some of the others, and then turn in pretty early. Road trips are starting to wear on us both the older we get (and we're not even that old yet!). We are looking forward to our adventures in Launceston tomorrow! AlyCatAuthor |
THE CADBURY CHOCOLATE FACTORY.  This is the best Christmas present so far.  We take a tour of the factory and Hubby tries lots of samples. I try as many as I can, since I'm starting to get a bit of a cold and can barely taste anything. It's almost like being in Willy Wonka's Candy Factory. I keep expecting Oompa Loompas to turn up around every corner. It's not nearly as colorful, but still the whole place smells like chocolate (when my nose will cooperate) so I can't complain too much. It's a wonderful day! AlyCatAuthor |
| 30DBC December 26 Prompt: We'll have a later start today and head up to Mt. Nelson Oval around mid-morning and have a barbecue lunch/dinner. There's a playground facility and an oval (oval-shaped grass field) so you can run around and play as you like. We sleep in and head up to Mt. Nelson Oval for our picnic. Hubby pushes me on the swings and dodges Andre as he has a blast on all the playground equipment. We chat with Apondia   and Lyn's a sly fox   for a while and learn all kinds of interesting things about each other. We enjoy the beautiful summer day.AlyCatAuthor |
Hubby and I decide to skip the casino and market, as it's a holy day and we try to avoid unnecessarily causing others to work. Especially on Christmas!! We have a cozy little Christmas after we go to Mass and eat some good food/call some family members to wish them a Merry Christmas.  Thanks be to God, a Savior is born! AlyCatAuthor |
| Didn't see a prompt, so we'll just pull from the experiences of the others. Since today was a vigil day, Hubby and I waited until pretty late in the evening to join in the caroling. We didn't stay too long, as we wanted to go to Mass first thing in the morning for Christmas Day. We had fun holding candles in the warm summer evening--it was a very different climate than what we were used to, but also very familiar because the songs are imprinted in our hearts and always bring to mind those feelings of light and joy. We go to bed feeling hopeful and happy, and light up a little strand of colored Christmas lights Hubby insisted on buying while we were out. We fall asleep holding hands and smiling at the lights. AlyCatAuthor |
| 30DBC December 23 Prompt: Hopefully everyone had fun exploring the city yesterday! Today, we're going to the Dandenong Ranges, about an hour's drive from here. Its 1000 steps attraction is well known to tourists and locals alike. (My keyboard is acting wonky, so this entry is gonna be super short. I think the batteries are getting low.  )The Dandenong Ranges are a beautiful tapestry of nature! Hubby and I walk in a group of a few others including Apondia , Lyn's a sly fox , and WakeUpAndLive️~🚬🚭2024  . We pick a few fruits and taste them, relishing the flavor as tomorrow is a fasting day for the Vigil of the Nativity (Christmas Eve). We soak up the December sun and think about how our house is decorated for when we return (Hubby went ahead and decked all the halls before he left so we'd come home to a Christmas wonderland! For us Catholics, the Christmas season lasts all the way until February 2!). When we get back to the hotel, we nurse our sunburns with some aloe and turn in early.(I'll probably not be posting tomorrow or Christmas Day--too much going on/too much road tripping. Will catch up on Monday!) AlyCatAuthor |
| 30DBC December 22 Prompt: Melbourne is full of fun places and attractions, from good food to trampoline classes, to the Chinatown. Grab a friend or some friends and go take a look around the city today. (Disclaimer: I'm SUPER busy today IRL doing some last minute baking/decorating/putting together choir binders for 8 people that are due on Christmas/finishing a ridiculously difficult puzzle so it can be framed and gifted two days from now, so this post will be super short and lame.) Hubby and I are so overwhelmed with the thought of what we could be doing back home that we just decide to go driving around to see what Christmas lights are up around town. We find a few really nicely decorated neighborhoods, and instead of driving with hats and mittens, we ride with the windows down and lemonade in hand. Hubby also plays some Christmas carols on the piano in the front lobby of the hotel, and those who celebrate gather around and join in. It's so nice to celebrate Christmas abroad, where it's summer instead of winter. It adds a new dimension of reality to this wonderful holiday season.    AlyCatAuthor |
| 30DBC December 21 Prompt: Hopefully everybody is well rested and of sound mind after yesterday's excursion. Today, we're going to Luna Park, a mini amusement park with some fun rides and attractions. Oh, I'm so happy Hubby is here to enjoy this. He's not a big amusement park person, but he patiently waits while I join the others on the rides. Hubby joins me on the ones he feels like he can handle, and then we walk around to all the booths. He plays a few games and wins me a couple plushies (a rainbow unicorn and a panda bear), and then we get a funnel cake and enjoy it in the shade with a large lemonade to split between us. Later on we join Dragon is hiding  and SB Musing  for lunch and ice cream. It's a pretty fun day! AlyCatAuthor |
| 30DBC December 20 Prompt: Welcome to Melbourne, everyone! We'll be staying here through Christmas Eve, so feel free to get settled into your hotel rooms at The Blackman. We're going far out from the city today, so drivers, be ready and aware of the route! We're leaving early, around 8, to arrive at the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice creamery around 9:15. You can either buy some bread from Breadtop for breakfast and eat it in the car or wait until we arrive and have chocolate and ice cream to start your day. They have a Vegemite-flavored ice cream- are you brave enough to try it? Next, the Valley Farm Vineyards are another 20-minute drive away, so we'll go there once we're done eating chocolate and ice cream and have a guided tour of their winery, which includes wine-tasting, for those who are interested. If not, you can go along and have the cheese they provide. For those under 21, do not worry! The legal age here is 18. We'll finish the day at Healesville Sanctuary and visit the koalas, kangaroos, and various other animals they keep here, before going back to the hotel. 5 Days until Christmas! We check into our hotel, and I'm so glad we're staying put for a few days. What I'm most excited about, though, is the fact that we get to have CHOCOLATE FOR BREAKFAST!!! We get to the Creamery, and it's such a menagerie of flavors, I almost can't decide! I eventually pick a tame black cherry/chocolate chunk flavor, reminiscent of Cherry Garcia, my fave Ben & Jerry's flavor. It's so delicious and takes me back to when I would get ice cream in a cone while walking along the Boardwalk at Myrtle Beach on vacations with my parents.  Brother Nature  tries a lick of the vegemite ice cream. I watch with a grimace--he actually seems to like it! He gets in a couple more bites before Andre gets in on the fun.Okay, so chocolate and wine in the same day. This is the BEST. DAY. EVAH.  We head out to the Vineyards and tour the beautiful grounds in a cherry red vintage car (we have to take turns, but I don't mind waiting until the last go-round). The surrounding lush green mountains give me a little sense of home in Appalachia, reminding me of my honeymoon to Gatlinburg (may God bless that tormented town).And now we get to visit some fur babies before we go to the hotel. This day was designed for comfort, I tell you. They let us pet some of the koalas, but I stay far away from the roos' kicking feet. They're much taller--and intimidating--in person, though their deer-like faces are pretty cute. In the car on the way back to the hotel, I get a rare text from my hubby. He's got off work from today until the beginning of January and even managed to get his boss at Papa John's to give him off until the end of December. I feel happy for him, but wonder what he's gonna do with all that time off. He texts back: "Didn't you pack anything nice to wear in your suitcase? There's nothing in here but jean skirts and t-shirts. I wanted to go to dinner with you." I sit with my mouth open. What was he talking about? Just then I get a text from the Wordy Jay . "You're welcome. " My open mouth turns up in a smile. Jay had gotten ahold of my husband after suggesting to me that he should fly in for the holidays. And Hubby had actually been able to do it. I give a little squeal of excitement (startling Princess Megan Rose GOT Fox  ) and frantically text back. "You actually FLEW in?????" He just replies with a wink. Once back at the hotel, I run into my room, only to find a key card in a sleeve with a new room number on it. Hubby had checked out a separate room for us (and apparently taken all my stuff, too). I go to the new room and greet Hubby with a big hug and kiss. He tells me we're going to The Willows restaurant, so I put on my least-wrinkled shirt and skirt and we set off to dinner. We catch up on all his substitute-teaching adventures, and I show him all my pictures. "I'm so glad you'll be here for the rest of the trip. We get to see it together!" He smiles. "We sure will." Needless to say, today has been a perfect day. I can't wait to see what adventures we'll go on tomorrow! AlyCatAuthor |
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